Not Applicable
Not Applicable
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of safety seats. The invention is particularly in the fields of child safety seats or child booster seats. The invention is even more particularly directed to a dimensionally adjustable booster seat for supporting toddlers and adolescents within the confines of adult safety restraint systems.
2. Description of Prior Art
In the early days of transportation people had little concern about seat belts and their use or benefits. But as transportation technology advanced, so did the speeds at which we travel, and the increased need for seat belt use. Seat belt systems are designed to frontally secure adult passengers in modes of transportation. Securing juvenile passengers within the confines of these seat belt systems has required the use of infant safety seats, booster seats and seat belt adaptation devices to secure the juvenile passenger within the seat belt system.
Prior booster seats are designed with and without attached securing members of plastic or straps to frontally secure the child to the booster seat. Booster seats designed with straps attached or frontally securing members, are complicated to adjust and need to have the booster seat attached to the seat of the vehicle of transportation. Booster seats designed without attached securing members rely on guides to position the vehicles seat belts as to properly frontally restrain the child.
Although this type of system works well with an occupant that is of a size to fit within the predetermined confines of the booster seat, the dimensions of the seat and seat belt routing will not correctly secure all sizes of occupants from toddler to teenager. The guides on this type of booster seat also modify the routing of the seat belt, therefore in the case of an accident, any forward movement may cause the seat belt shoulder strap to be pulled taught and cause the booster seat to be pulled from its seated position by the shoulder belt guide. Further the guides may not properly position the seatbelt to fit the occupant across the chest. If the strap is too high it will catch the occupant across the neck or face, and if the strap is too low it will not frontally secure the occupant from being thrown forward. Having a fixed surface dimension or size, both types of systems are unable to perform properly for the full duration in which the booster seat is needed. Both booster seats are made of rigid materials with clothe covers, which make them uncomfortable when used for extended periods of time. Being made of rigid materials, the prior booster seats are less able to absorb shock in the case of a collision. Both types of booster seats are designed with a single seating plane, with the exception of U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,717 to Skold and Tyreso, Jun. 30, 1992 which has two seating planes and a vertically adjustable back rest, and is designed to position a juvenile passenger within an automotive seat belt system. In the case of U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,717, with only two seating planes the booster seat will correctly accommodate a small child of 3 to 5 years of age on the higher seating plane, and a larger child of 10 to 13 years of age on the lower seating plane. If produced on a smaller scale, it may accommodate a child 5 to 10 years of age between the two seating heights. The ability to properly position a child within the seat belt system between the ages of 3 and 13 is compromised. This booster seat stands on downwardly extending legs, which can make it unstable on surfaces that are not flat, such as contoured seats found in most automobiles today. This model must be disassembled, inverted and reassembled for adjustment, and adjustable side supports must be adjusted to fit different occupants. To do this would require ample space because the booster seat would have to be removed from the seat it is placed upon, which is not convenient for the user.
There are many types of safety seats designed for the purpose of securing children securely in various types of transportation. Some examples are infant seats for forward and rearward positioning of infants, convertible booster seats with frontally securing members or harnesses for toddlers, and open booster seats with seat belt guides designed to frontally secure larger children in adult seat belts.
Heretofore seats are each designed for a specific size or weight range and require the purchase of each type of seat to secure the child safely as they grow to adolescents.
Some of the greatest deficiencies of the heretofore known products are that the duration of use is limited by the size of the occupant. With my present invention the size of the seating surface of the booster seat is adjustable to hold all sizes if children as they grow, and provides proper positioning of the child within the confines of the adult safety restraint system provided.
Heretofore booster seats are generally not comfortable because they are made of rigid materials and/or do not fit the occupant properly. With my present invention being made of pliable materials the invention is comfortable and able to conform to the body of the occupant. Many of the heretofore known seats are complicated to adjust, either in the fitting of the straps or securing system around the occupant, and/or in the proper placement or fit of the booster seat on the seat of the vehicle of transportation. With my present invention these tedious and repetitive adjustments are eliminated.
I have accomplished this by providing a dimensionally adjustable booster seat for positioning an occupant within the confines of an adult safety restraint system, with a seat back and a plurality of optional seating planes that are detachable from and connectable to the seat back in different combinations. The optional seating planes are made in several different sizes and are stacked in various combinations to provide many different seating surface dimensions and heights. The seat back is contoured to blend with several combinations of the optional seating planes. By simply identifying the arrangement, placing it on the seat in the vehicle of transportation and putting on the seat belt, the occupant is properly secured within the vehicle.
An object of the present invention is to provide a booster seat with a dimensionally adjustable seating surface for supporting juvenile persons as they grow.
Another object of the invention is to provide a booster seat that is adjustable in its height, depth and width with a single adjustment.
A further object of the invention is to provide a means for positioning of a juvenile within the confines of an existing adult safety restraint system without modification to the restraint system.
Another object of the invention is to provide a booster seat that is free of webbing, buckles, belt guides and frontally securing members.
Another object of the invention is to provide a booster seat that is pliable letting it sit firmly on a surface designed to support a seated human.